I’ve wanted to divorce my car for a while now, and during the summer months, with less to do and more time and daylight to do it in- the temptation becomes even more intense. But then when the schizophrenic Colorado weather decides to dump a foot of snow in the middle of “spring,” I’m truly thankful I can bundle into my ancient Corolla, however rickety it may be. If only there were a way to have a car only when I needed it…

One solution to the on-again, off-again vehicle situation has come to the Denver metro area, and it’s name is Occasional Car.

Different from renting or car pooling, car sharing (as OccasionalCar.com explains) is a service that provides members with access to a fleet of vehicles in their neighborhood on an hourly basis. Once you become a member, you can reserve one of the cars via the Internet or telephone and drive it for as long as your reservation. It is not car pooling because it is your vehicle for the amount of time you reserve it. It is not like traditional car rentals because you pick up and drop off the vehicle at the same designated.

In a time when maintenance, repairs, and gas can be inconvenient expenses, Occasional Car offers a convenient and environmentally-friendly alternative owning cars, which, according to the Environmental Defense Fund emit more than 300 million tons of carbon into the atmosphere each year in the United States.

Dever Occasional Car rates are extremely reasonable as well, starting as low as $3.49 per hour and 24 cents per mile (gas, insurance and parking included) for cars like Toyota Prius or Honda Civic Hybrid.

- The Team at GenGreen

Earth Hour 2009 is tomorrow, March 28 2009, from 8:30 to 9:30 p.m. your local time!!! Do your part by switching off all your lights and uncessessary electronics during this time and cast your vote for a warming planet!!

Find out more at EarthHour.org or by watching the video below.

These days, everyone’s interested in saving money, and tight wallets can mean hard times for businesses.

Wondering how your business can get national exposure without emptying your pockets?
The answer: GenGreen Sustainable Savings Coupons!

Now you can post an electronic coupon redeemable for discounts on the green goods and services you offer, for mere dollars a day…and it will be accessible right from the GenGreenLife.com homepage. These “Sustainable Savings” are a great way to bring increased visibility to your brand as well as strategically marketing your offerings to the thousands of green consumers that visit GenGreenLife.com on a daily basis…no clipping required!

GIVEAWAY:

Today- Wednesday, March 25 2009, until 9 p.m. MST you can enter to win an e-coupon for a week…FREE!

Multiple entries are encouraged! Here’s how:

First Entry (required) – Leave a comment on this blog post telling us the name of a company that currently has an e-coupon in the Sustainable Savings section of GenGreenLife.com. Note: you must also leave your email address with this comment.

Second Entry – Follow @GenGreen on Twitter (if you don’t already) and Tweet about this giveaway. Leave a comment on this blog post with your @name and a link to the Tweet.

Bonus for Two Extra Entries – Post this Giveaway on your blog or website and leave a comment on our blog with a link to the post.

Winners will be announced on Thursday, March 26th 2009 by 12 p.m. MST.

Best of luck! And don’t worry if you don’t win, we’ll be running this contest again next week!

You’ve probably never heard of “trucker bombs.” I hadn’t until just recently, and although I was surprised by what they are, I wasn’t entirely shocked that they exist. The term refers to a common practice within the trucking industry of urinating into cups and bottles and then tossing them on the side of the road.

Although a little gross- this practice saves the truck drivers from having to locate facilities that are convenient and can accommodate their rigs, not to mention saving them enormous amounts of precious time during long cross-country trips.

The only problem is that this practice results in millions of paper and plastic “bombs” left to litter our roadways and give heart attacks to those saints who volunteer to clean them up.

Thankfully, a new company has emerged with a clever product designed to deal with this problem in a sanitary and biodegradable way! Introducing iPee™, a division of the SuperSlab 100® Corporation.

According to the company’s official website, “The iPee™ is a single-use, disposable, biodegradable, urine collection device, each designed for either male or female use. It converts the urine into a solid in seconds utilizing a new, patent-pending, organic absorbent.”

Touted as the new portable restroom for men, women and children, the uses and benefits of the iPee could potentially extend far beyond the trucking industry, although it has already met with great acceptance and accolades there. The iPee can also be used at public events like festivals and fairs, air shows, motor speedways, golf courses and entertainment centers, and during emergency situations arising during natural disasters or military combat, not only eliminating often unpleasant public restroom and port-a-potty encounters, but also the toxic chemicals that are used to keep them “sanitary.”

iPee™ was selected as the “Best New Product in Show” this past week at the Green California Summit and Exposition and has already been accepted into the USDA Bio-Preferred catalog and California’s Integrated Waste Management Recycled-Content Directory.

- The Team at GenGreen

On March 3, 2009 a school in Longmont, Colorado, got the green light on a parent- and student-inspired greenhouse project that will provide a space for teachers to communicate traditional subjects in a non-traditional setting.

Flagstaff Academy is a Preschool – Middleschool public charter school within the St. Vrain Valley School District with a mission to provide a science and technology-focused liberal arts curriculum that promotes excellence, teamwork, respect, and a lifelong love of learning.

First envisioned by Flagstaff parent Leha Moskoff, the greenhouse will provide an opportunity for students to participate in hands-on learning experiences that bring science and the environment to the forefront. Flagstaff Academy currently uses an integrated and challenging curriculum based on the Core Knowledge curricular sequence.

“The greenhouse will provide a living classroom for the teachers at Flagstaff to be creative with,” said Moskoff. “It provides a hands on approach to learning that many students require to truly learn a skill. And, the greenhouse will be mostly filled with edible plants that many students have never liked or tried.  Being a part of the growing process, from start to finish, creates a connection to the food we put in our bodies.  Children are more likely to try vegetables if they help grow them.  If we can introduce healthy food choices to our children, imagine the health of our future!”

The proposed greenhouse will be a 33-foot geodesic dome-shaped structure with 850 square feet of usable space- enough room for a class of 30 students. The dome will be manufactured by Colorado-based Growing Spaces Growing Domes, is able to be assembled in one weekend. Thanks to grassroots fund raising efforts by families at the school, Whole Foods Market in Boulder, has already pledged $750 toward purchasing the structure and volunteered manpower to assemble the greenhouse on build day. After hearing about the school’s approval of the project, Moskoff’s classmates at the Institute for Integrative Nutrition also pitched in by donating over $1,000 in just over an hour. These student donations were generously matched by IIN’s administration to equal $3,000.

At the request of the Flagstaff’s Board of Directors, Moskoff carefully reviewed the school’s course work for grades K-5 and identified at least three topics in each year that would directly relate to the greenhouse. In addition there are hopes of raising garden produce for use at the school.

“The sense of community that transpires from a shared goal is powerful,” said Moskoff.  “It makes us all feel good and like we are truly creating a better world for ourselves and our children.  For me, this is what fund raising is all about.  If someone is able to donate funds for our greenhouse, I encourage you to do so.”

The Greenhouse Committee at Flagstaff Academy is currently looking for grants, corporate sponsorships, and individual donors to help them reach their goal of $23,000 for the purchase of the “classroom” greenhouse. Interested parties should contact Flagstaff Academy at (303) 651-7900 or by mail at 1841 Lefthand Circle, Longmont, Colorado, 80501.

- The Team at GenGreen

An online community joins hands and hearts to liberate 9,000 to 14,000 bears from crush cages and end the practice of draining their bile to make commercial products. The Ursa Freedom Project gathers all who affirm the right to liberty and deplore the torture of any living being. Moon Bears and six other species of bear are poached from the wild and bred in captivity for the sole purpose of draining their bile for commercial products. Locked in tiny crush cages on bile farms in China and Vietnam, the bears are unable to move in these wretched conditions.

Bear farmers often knock out the bears’ teeth, rip their claws out and cut off their paws to prevent being hurt by the bears when they approach the cages to milk them for their bile. The bears live in this abject torture daily – until they die. Freeing the bears is no small task. It will take the belief and coming together of a great many to liberate farmed bears and dismantle the bile farm industry.

Ursa Freedom Project begins on March 20 (Vernal Equinox). Worldwide, people will gather for a variety of events from the Equinox to Summer Solstice to engage in doing what they love. All the while, they will be in action to stop bear bile farming. Many ideas for community involvement are contributed by members at the Ursa Freedom Project.

The target date of June 21 serves as a Community Action Day to celebrate the liberation of bile bears and kickoff for an ongoing series of events for moon bears and other bear species until our mission is accomplished.

The campaign includes two delicious Honey Money drives, where small individual contributions
combine into a large sum during the specified 24-hour time period. The Honey Money drives are modeled after money bombs that raise money for political candidates. “The most famous was dropped into the Ron Paul campaign in the U.S. on December 16, 2007, which raised $6.03 million in just 24 hours. Nickels and dimes amounted to millions of dollars. We want to set a new world record for this type of donation with the Ursa Freedom Project,” said Jeanette McDermott, campaign co-creator and director.

After writing an article about bear farming for her social network, “ecopaparazzi”, Jeanette was haunted by stories and images of the tortured bears. She spoke with her friend, Camila Aguilar, about waking up from a nightmare unable to move or breathe. Together they spontaneously combusted the vision of a worldwide campaign. To raise awareness around the long ignored industrial abuses of the Asiatic Black Bear, also called the Moon Bear, Camila offered her activist experiences, graphic and editing skills. Jeanette brought her enormous energy, journalism, networking and media gifts to attract people to join this visionary cause.

Money raised through the Ursa Freedom Project benefits Animals Asia Foundation, a non-profit organization with bear sanctuaries in China and Vietnam for medical care, rehabilitation and room and board for the rescued bears. As bears are freed from bile farms Animals Asia Foundation (AAF) sees to it that bear farmers are compensated for their loss of income. AAF gives farmers enough money and encouragement to start a more progressive job, while giving the bears they have farmed a new lease on life.

The Ursa Freedom Project inspires engagement through fun, education, art and community involvement. Community events currently planned are Benefit for the Bears concerts in London, Australia, New York, San Francisco, Los Angeles, and in Argentina, online and offline art sales and auctions, Honey Money drops, fashion shows as well as many events planned by individuals.

“Through local activities and a positive spirit, we aim to awaken global awareness for the plight of the bile bears. Our commitment is to move the hearts of the Chinese people for the sake of humane treatment of an endangered species. We believe a global response to this endeavor can bring about the necessary change,” said Camila Aguilar, co-creator of Ursa Freedom Project.

Many people from around the world and across a vast network of organizations have come together to implement the vision for the Ursa Freedom Project. “Once people become aware of bile farming, they are changed,” Jeanette said. “They see the photos of tortured bears in crush cages and are motivated to end the bears’ suffering by getting involved in a campaign to stop a practice that should never have begun.’

For more information visit http://ursafreedomproject.ning.com.

Contacts:
Jeanette McDermott ~ jeanette_mcdermott@hotmail.com
Camila Aguilar ~ pixlcam@copper.net

Connected Links

http://ursafreedomproject.blogspot.com/
http://endbearbilefarming.blogspot.com/
http://www.animalsasia.org/
http://www.animalsasia.org/blog/

(This delicious post was provided by our friends at VODKA14).

Across the Rockies, the winter snows are melting, beckoning the spring thaw. To ring in the new season, we’re pleased to present these new cocktail recipes for Sping 2009 to toast the winter past and the warmer months ahead. As always these cocktails feature Vodka 14, the Rocky Mountain organic vodka whose exceptional purity makes it a perfect choice for mixing delicate, delicious spring cocktails to savor.

MELTING SNOW

Blend crushed ice, a pint of fresh organic strawberries, the contents of an 8 ounce can of frozen limeade concentrate and 8 ounces of Vodka 14 in a blender. Serve in brandy snifters garnished with whole crosswise sliced wheels of fresh lime and fresh sprigs of mint. Serves four.

APRIL FOOL SCREWBALL

Pour 3 ounces Vodka 14, 1 ounce fresh squeezed orange juice and 1 ounce cream sherry into a cocktail shaker with ice. Shake vigorously and strain into a waiting, chilled martini glass. Garnish with a wedge of fresh orange and sprigs of fresh mint.

ST. PATRICK’S DAY

Shake 3 ounces of Vodka 14 with ice and strain into a chilled martini glass. Add 2 ounces of Irish cream liqueur. Garnish with a whole cinnamon stick swizzle.

MAY DAY

Pour 3 ounces of Vodka 14 in a shaker with ice. Add half an ounce dry white vermouth and half an ounce sweet red vermouth for a woody, herbal taste and aroma. Shake, strain into a chilled martini glass. Garnish with edible violets.

These recipes and many others can be found online at www.VODKA14.com.

Now Wrigley’s food scientists won’t just be working on the next futuristic slice of minty green, they’ll be working in it (minus the minty part, all though the air will be a lot cleaner).

Wrigley’s Global Innovation Center (GIC), located on Goose Island near Chicago’s North Side, recently earned a LEED Gold Certification although it has complied with many LEED standards since being built in 2005.

When built in 2005, the building the facility already complied with many of the Gold LEED requirements, including a green roof used to help insulate and cool the facility, and reduce wasteful run-off water, instituting a major recycling program, and providing facilities to encourage employees to take alternative and public transportation, including showers and locker rooms for bike riders.

By working with Transwestern Chicago, Wrigley’s building management company, a sensor network to control lighting and temperature levels based on real-time usage and needs, as well as an irrigation system that uses sensors to keep the grounds watered without wasting resources were added to finally achieve Gold Certification.

Water conservation has become very important to Wrigley’s, as they have launched a company-wide campaign to reduce water usage, even at its Australian manufacturing plants. One unique method the company implemented to accomplish this is a system for diverting the sugary water (that results from manufacturing of some Wrigley products) into composting systems of local farms, where it acts as a carbon source for the compost process.

According to their website, Wrigley’s has also taken important step to reduce waste and carbon emissions cause by superfluous packaging and has since begun to switch some of its 21 brands of chewing gum to light weight, recyclable bottle packs (see above). “Compared to blister packages, it [bottle pack] uses about 20 percent less packaging materials in weight per piece, which creates an overall reduction of over 2,500 tons of packaging materials per year. Moreover, the bottle is recyclable, and last year, the bottle was re-engineered to become even lighter.”

Unfortunately, the gum they’re making in these plants still isn’t that great for you or the planet. “Although chicle and other natural gums are still utilized by the chewing gum industry, most modern gums are made from man-made materials and contain corn syrup, sugar, chemical sugar substitutes, artificial food colorings and flavoring agents added to the gum base in the gum-making process” (Janet Hull, SweetPoison Newsletter).

- The Team at GenGreen

Rolls of toilet paper being processed at the Marcal plant in Elmwood Park, N.J. Photo by Juan Arredondo

Although it may feel luxurious, there’s nothing glamorous about the standing forests that must be felled to produce extra-soft, multi-ply bathroom tissue brands like Charmin and Quilted Northern.

As the New York Times reported in a recent article, “although toilet tissue can be made at similar cost from recycled material, it is the fiber taken from standing trees that help give it that plush feel, and most large manufacturers rely on them.”

In an effort to educate people about the negative impacts of this addiction to plushness, activist organization Greenpeace issued a national guide for American consumers that rates toilet tissue brands on their environmental soundness (view guide at www.greenpeace.org).

Currently tissue from 100 percent recycled fibers makes up less than 2 percent of sales for at-home use among conventional and premium brands in America.

- The Team at GenGreen

This new LEED Silver home shatters the myth that green houses lack comfort and luxury
by Matt Freeman
Photos by Matt Freeman, John Lewis, Rick Ziesing

The wooded five-acre setting on Sills Mill Road, east of Kennett Square, harks back to an earlier age, a time of fields of grain and water-powered grist mills. And although its design is contemporary, Avrim “Ave” and Vicki Topel’s new luxurious home is meant to evoke the charm of the region’s historic buildings.
The timeless natural world is also part of the design — the house is situated carefully on the site, embraced by a protective ring of tall trees. It rises amid a meadow of native plants and it looks out over fields where deer calmly graze.

But a closer look reveals that in many ways this home belongs less to the past than it does to a rapidly emerging and more sustainable future. In the process of building their home, the Topels and the team they assembled took advantage of what the region’s past and its natural world had to offer for its aesthetics, and ended up with a home that has earned prestigious awards for its cutting-edge energy efficiency technology and minimal disturbance of the environment.

Modest Plan

The Topels’ original goal was far more modest. With Ave in semi-retirement, they wanted a smaller home and a simpler life — less work on the yard, lower utility bills, and daily life lived mostly on one floor, ranch-house style. So they contacted Hugh Lofting of Hugh Lofting Timber Framing, who had built a carriage house for their former home. His colleague Amy Cornelius asked if they’d considered making the new home a “green” house.

What would that mean, the Topels asked — putting solar panels on the roof? Cornelius told them it was much more — a green house was far more comprehensive, a new type of construction for a new type of lifestyle. It involved achieving the highest energy efficiency and the lowest impact on the surrounding natural world. The Lofting organization had been proponents of this type of building for the previous 30 years. The Topels didn’t know much about the topic at the time of the conversation, but they were about to learn.

Contemporary Vernacular

The foundation for great green homes begins with smart, good design. Lofting intro-duced the Topels to architect Matthew Moger of Lyman Perry Architects. Moger asked for a “romantic description” of the house they dreamt of, met with them repeatedly, and spent time on the site, getting a sense of it. He says Lyman Perry’s belief is that you don’t simply create a building and apply it to the site; the structure should grow out the environment and fit it naturally.

Moger then created models and collages of indigenous architecture and native plants, assembling a range of elements drawn from historic buildings and the natural world. The goal was to create a simple design that would recall the barns and farmhouses of the region’s past, a style he calls “contemporary vernacular.”

And today, now that the two-year planning and building process is finished, visitors who come for guided tours travel up the long driveway and first see sloping, meadowed grounds covered with native plants and designed by Jonathan Alderson Landscape Architects of Wayne to control groundwater naturally.

Then visitors see what might be buildings of two different eras. One has large windows and heavy-beamed barn doors next to them, topped with a traditional standing seam metal roof. Beyond and perpendicular to this part of the house is a two-story building with red wooden siding and roof of the same standing seam metal construction, topped by a cupola.

The home is placed in the lee of a wall of poplar trees that stretches far above, protecting the home from the cold winter winds and providing cooling shade during warm weather months in an almost parental embrace. Moger says he feels a reverence for the site. Looking at this visual harmony of the building and surrounding trees, a visitor could be excused for imagining that the site feels fondly about the new home as well.

The glassed-in entranceway slate floor, designed with the home’s passive solar application to retain heat, and its timber framing and copper door (the Topels are fond of metal sculpture) is what Moger calls “your first ‘wow’ moment.” It connects the two buildings. Turning left, you enter the kitchen and living room area.

The roomy kitchen has soapstone counters and traditional wood cabinetry by David T. Smith of Morrow, Ohio. In the middle of the room is a massive stone fireplace by Landenberg stonemason Gary Odle that soars up to and through the timber-framed ceiling. Large windows give the living room on the other side beautiful views of the grounds. The reclaimed barn doors can be rolled over the windows for privacy.

Silver Rating, Green Beginnings

From the basement to the roof, the green technology was built in from the beginning by design and in compliance with the U.S.Green Building Council’s integrative approach to green construction. Many of these elements can be added to existing homes, but the concerted effort to use them so comprehensively won the Topel house the Silver rating from USGBC’s LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) designation program.There are only a handful of residences in all of Pennsylvania that have achieved the coveted LEED certification.

But there are more on the way. The Topels have become green-building advocates and recently wrote a book detailing their experience and the benefits green homes avail their occupants, the communities in which they are built in, and conserving our natural resources in Green Beginnings: The Story of How We Built Our Green & Sustainable Home. The couple also hosts educational orientation tours of their home—which they’ve begun calling the “Green Beginnings Home” since writing the book—to help others learn about green homes, and hosts a web site that shares experiential information about living in a green home as well.

Questions? Contact:
Avrim and Vicki Topel
Email: LEEDSilver@yahoo.com